Tail-piece for violins



(No Model.)

D. S. JENKINS.

TAIL PIECE FOR VIOLINS.

No. 462,383. Patented Nov. 3. 1891.

III

. I gvwawfoz 32% afg f M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DULA S. JENKINS, OF LAS ANIMAS, COLORADO.

TAIL-PIECE FOR VlOLlNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,383, dated November 3, 1891.

Application filed June 9, 1891. $erial No. 395,669- (No model.)

To coZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, DULA S. JENKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Las Animas, in the county of Bent and State of 0010- rado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tail-Pieces for Violins; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which forma part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in tail-pieces for violins; and it has for its object to generally improve upon the construction and to render more efficient in use this class of appliances.

The invention consists in the peculiar construction and the novel arrangement of parts, all as more fully hereinafter described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and then speeifically definedin the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which drawings Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a violin provided with my improved tailpiece. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tailpiece upon an enlarged scale; and Fig. 3 is a bottom plan View of the same, also upon an enlarged scale.

It is known that the smaller outside string of a violin is, upon account of its exposed position, its small size, and the fact that it is usually keyed to a higher pitch, much more liable to be accidentally broken than. either of the other strings upon the instrument, and the tail-piece herein described is specially adapted for protecting this smaller string, which is known as the II-string.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the body portion of a violin, and 13 the tail-piece, which is attached to the instrument in the usual manner and is provided with the usual openings a for the reception of the ends of the strings. Rising from the upper face of the tail-piece, directly to the rear of the openings a, is a spool or button 0, the upper end or face of which overlaps the shank or body portion for a considerable distance, and thus offectually protects the string wound thereon from contact either with the hand of the musician or from his chin. To the rear of the button C, and separated therefrom bya short space, as shown, is a button D, similar in form to the button 0, but of slightly less diameter. From the rear portion of the shank of the button C an opening E extends downward and forward through the tailpiece, and from its terminus upon the lower face of the tailpiece a slot or groove E communicates directly with the opening a, through which the E-string passes when the instrument is properly strung. The opening a, through which the E-string is passed, is provided with a rearwardly-extended slit to, for a purpose which will presently appear.

I11 use, in threading the E-string, a knot is first tied in the end of the string. The string is then placed in the opening a, which is provided with the extension a, and is drawn through the same until its end knot catches upon the under face of the tail-piece, the strin g occupying the rearwardly-extend ed slit 0/. The string is thence carried to the spool or button C and is wound from left to right around the shank of the button, and is then carried to the button D and wound in the same direction around the shank of said button. Thence the string is returned to the button 0 and is passed through the opening E and groove E to the opening a, through which said string is passed in stringing the instrument.

It will be seen that in case the E-string at any time is broken the extra portion of the string which may be wound around the buttons 0 and D may bequickly and readily brought into use, and it will be further noted that this extra amount of string will, while being held upon the spools in readiness for use when needed, be protected by the overlapping edges of the spool-heads from injury from perspiration con'imunicated from the hand or the chin of the musician.

I am aware that a button with an enlarged or overhanging head has heretofore been employed in this connection, and I do not seek to cover such construction. Importance is attached to the two buttons, whereby a better .hold is provided. The strings being wound, as shown, have a tendency to bind upon each other, especially when the string is passed downward through the opening E.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a tail-piece for violins, the combination, with the tail-piece, of the buttons 0 and D, one to the rear of the other an d rising from the upper face of the tail-piece to the rear of the string-openings, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The herein-described tail-piece for violins, the same consisting of a body portion B, having string-openings a and integral buttons 0 and D, rising from the upper face of the tailpiece, one to the rear of the other and of ell-62,383

D'ULA S. JENKINS. Witnesses:

J. E. M ATTHEws, H. FREY. 

